Everything about Lime Water totally explained
Lime water or
milk of lime is the common name for
saturated calcium hydroxide solution. Its chemical formula is Ca(OH)
2. The term is based on the mineral sense of
lime, rather than the fruit sense of
lime. Lime water used as a paint is called
lime wash (see
whitewash).
Etymology
Making lime water
Lime water can be made by mixing excess
calcium hydroxide with
distilled water, or deionized water. The mixture needs to be shaken to ensure the solution is saturated with calcium hydroxide. It is then left to settle and the clear "saturated" solution is
siphoned off the
sediment.
Uses of Limewater
Chemistry
In chemistry, limewater can be used to test the presence of carbon dioxide because lime water reacts with
carbon dioxide to produce a
precipitate of
calcium carbonate:
Ca(OH)
2 (aq) + CO
2 (g) → CaCO
3 (s) + H
2O
(l)
Lime water is also used in experiments involving aerobic or anaerobic respiration, to determine whether carbon dioxide was produced. When lime water reacts with CO
2 it becomes milky, because of the calcium carbonate, or chalk, produced.
Medicine
When the old
vaudeville style medicine shows promoting various
patent medicines were in full swing, lime water was often used as a part of the act. The
salesperson would have an audience member blow through a
straw into a glass of lime water. Since their
exhalations contained carbon dioxide, the water would turn cloudy; the
huckster then announced that this reaction proved that the audience member suffered from some ailment. If too much carbon dioxide comes into contact with the cloudy limewater, it'll cause the
calcium carbonate precipitate to redissolve to form soluble
calcium hydrogencarbonate.
+
+
The huckster had a patent medicine bottle filled with
vinegar or some similar
acid. He then would pour some of the acid into the glass of cloudy limewater. The acid
reacted with the calcium carbonate, and the water would instantly clear. This demonstrated the potent effect of the
nostrum he was selling to eliminate the "disease" demonstrated by the reaction.
Meals
Lime water is also used in the traditional making of
tortillas
Arts
In buon
fresco painting, lime water is used as the colour solvent to apply on fresh plaster
Misc
Lime water is widely used by marine aquarists and is a primary supplement of
calcium and
alkalinity for reef aquariums.
Corals of order
scleractinia build their
endoskeletons from
aragonite (a
polymorph of
calcium carbonate) and by doing so, usually form a
reef.
Calcium concentration in natural seawater is about 420 ppm. When used for this purpose, lime water is also referred to as "
Kalkwasser".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lime Water'.
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